Return to Happiness
by Chimalmat
Summary: As she urgently races through the deep forest as quickly as her feet are able to carry her, Rin envisions nothing but her kind lord's serene face, as he has already saved her countless times from the clutches of death. Where is her lord now?
1. Chapter 1

As she urgently races through the deep forest as quickly as her feet are able to carry her, she envisions nothing but her kind lord's serene face. Not a day passes in which she does not hope for her lord to one day find her and rescue her from this place, as he has already saved her countless times from the clutches of death. Her suffering is a fate worse than death, but as she is certain that the moon will rise again, the dim light within her heart keeps her moving. She looks up to confirm that the new moon will soon be upon her.

* * *

She sat in a field of pink and white wildflowers with her lord. "I wish to marry this boy." she whispered to him as she bit her lower lip and kept her eyes glued to the iridescent dragonflies roaming the field. He continued his stare, never faltering in allowing his golden eyes to take in all of her, as if it were the last time he would see her. She was radiant. He memorized the way her amber eyes would reflect specks of gold as the sunlight poured into them and admired curvature of her sharp, delicate rosy cheeks. She pulled her gaze into his as her tears threatened to escape her lids. "Do you promise?" her voice quivered. "Do you promise to never forget me?" His impassive features softened.

"Don't say such silly things." Her face formed a smile and she giggled as the streams poured down rosy her cheeks. "Come," he commanded as he reached out his arm to her. She shifted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling her face into the base of his neck as he wrapped an arm around her.

Her eyes had been growing heavy, but before she could give into the slumber calling her name, she sighed her last words to him. "I love you, Lord Sesshomaru." He could sense the boy watching through the tall grass with concern, pain, and jealousy seeping through his skin. Neither men dared to move.

It was time. The cicadas were roaring and the orange sun filtered through the clouded horizon, casting a beautiful pink, orange, and violet sunset. The others would soon come looking, for preparations would have to be made for the upcoming ceremony. He gently ran a lethal finger across a rosy cheek. He plucked an assortment of wildflowers, tucked them behind her ear, and set her down in the flower bed. He couldn't help but think of what a gorgeous woman she had become. She looked like she belonged here. Her innocent charm and laughter had remained, though clearly, she was no longer a child. She was a beautiful soul, incomparable to anything else. Before his departure, he looked upon the sleeping girl. It was unmistakable. "I love you, too." he said before propelling himself into the celestial sphere.

The boy gazed at his fiancé. He decided to emerge from hiding to meet his love, cherishing her peaceful state. Placidly, he ran his fingers through her silky hair, removing the flowers. The gentle rhythm caused her to stir and slowly open her eyes.

"Rin."

"Kohaku." She smiled gently and stretched her body.

"Let's get going." He stood and reached his hand out to help her to her feet.

"Yes, my love." She responded, causing him to blush.

* * *

She finally comes to a halt when she finds that she has reached a field of red flowers. "Higanbana." she melancholically reminisces. _Spider Lilies._ She kneels down and gently runs her fingertips over the spider petals, allowing a tear to trail down her face. She curls up into a ball clutching her heart, oblivious of the curious, familiar man that has been sharing her company. For how long she stays there, she does not know. She does not care. Here, she is free to be. Her agony pours from her heart into the clearing.

"In the mountains in the breeze

In the forest in my dreams

Lord Sesshomaru, where are you?

Jaken is serving under you too

I will wait for you on my own

Please return to me, waiting all alone."

She begins to sob. Her concealed companion continues to observe her with intensity. He remains frozen, unable to move. Never before has he heard a sweeter sound than her voice.

"Lady Rin!" She hears the hooves of an army's horses hitting the ground, beating louder and louder. Her eyes widen in horror. She jumps up and looks up toward the sky to find ivory crescent moon, once high above, beginning to set over the trees. "Lady Rin!"

 _How did I not notice? So stupid,_ she reprimands herself. She looks around for her escape and suddenly makes a dash towards the trees to take cover. There is no turning back now.

"Where is that wench? Rin!" The air persistently tries to forcefully push itself in and out of her lungs, so she tries to hold her breath as she remains out of sight behind a tree. "Flowers." Lord Hajime notes to his soldiers, entering the expanse. "She should be close." He pauses to scan the scenery, dismounts his horse, and spins around to step back into the forest. He is a man of considerable size wrapped in yellow and black silk. The fabric clings to his body, slightly displaying the broad, sculpted muscles beneath it, though his face is less than extraordinary. The approaching footsteps permeate the silence, though it's difficult for the woman to hear over the ringing in her ears and pounding of her heart. They're getting closer. As she begins to inch away, she trips and falls. She jumps up to recover, but when she makes an effort to start running, she realizes the soldiers have already locked her arms in a death grip. She's been captured. "Rin." Lord Hajime calls. She remains silent. "You will respond when spoken to!" he screams at her.

She flinches. "Yes, Lord Hajime!" she whimpers, unable to hold back the fear emanating from her voice.

"You know," he scoffs. "I paid a lot of money for you. I intend to get my money's worth, and you will be a respectful, obedient wife. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you." He pauses. "This is the part in which you respond- Oh, yes Lord Hajime." The condescension in his voice irritates her.

Her gaze drops to the forest floor for a moment, only to meet her captor once again to find a twinkle in his eyes. His amusement provokes her. She musters the courage to respond. "I- I have no respect for you. Lord Hajime. You're not a real man." His eyes grow dark, but the smirk never vanishes from his mouth. He strides closer to the young woman and forcefully rips the golden fabric off her body, revealing the scratches and colorful bruising across her torso and thighs that had been covered by the garment. She is abruptly knocked off her feet and forced into the ground.

The men are too engrossed in their attempt to subdue the young woman's spirit that they fail to notice the ominous figure approaching. In a matter of seconds, a green, incandescent rope ripples throughout the forest. All of the soldiers' heads fall to the ground as blood appears to splatter in every direction. The dancing light comes to an end. Their bodies drop to their knees, promptly falling into the leaves and dirt after their heads. Rin looks up to comprehend what has happened, but when she finds her savior, she is in shock. Lord Hajime freezes in horror and begins to turn his head, trembling in fear to face the monster behind him. He starts with his black boots and begins to trail his eyes along the white figure before him. He notices the armor and pelt. He examines the silver hair, the magenta striped cheeks, and pointed ears. His eyes lock onto the indigo moon prominently displayed on his forehead, then drop to meet the demon's golden scowling eyes that appear to pierce his soul. Gulping and letting out a shy, frightened chuckle, he attempts to flee from his predicament, defensively putting his hands up and stumbling back away from the woman and the demon. "Heh uh... If you want her so badly for yourself, take her." Urine streams down his legs.

The demon is glaring at the man. In a flash, the man is dangling by his throat, attempting to pry the hand away. Green acid seeps from the demon's poison claws and corrodes the earth beneath them. "Die." In one swift motion, the demon punctures the man's chest with his hand, insuring his suffering as his insides burn and he begins to drown in his own blood. He then releases the human to fall to the sticks and leaves with a thud.

"Lo…ord… Ses…shomru?" Rin forces out with tears in her eyes, clouding over her vision. The demon lord approaches the immobile woman and removes his clothing to drape over the beaten and blood splattered Rin. He kneels down to cradle the precious girl in his arms once again.

"Rest." he commands. Rin smiles and allows herself to fall into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Rin stands over a steamy pot and swirls its contents around with a spoon in hand. She tunes into the melody of her mother's cheerful, improvised humming and joins her in bliss, performing in a private concert. As her mother extends her arm to hand a bowl over to be filled with supper, the bowl slips from her grip, falling to the floor. It shatters and the shards shoot out across the room. She looks towards her mother to find her crippled with fear; Rin is puzzled. After following her mother's stare, she finds a large, strange man concealed in the shadows. He paces himself forward, revealing his identity, causing the matriarch to hastily step in front of her daughter to shield her from the intruder. _Lord Hajime._ He grips the roots of the mother's hair to haul her away from her daughter. Rin backs away as the man advances towards her. She has been cornered. She drops to the ground, pulling her legs into her chest and her forehead into her knees. A resounding gong echoes around her. "Run! Let's go!" she hears her mother cry as her arms are yanked from her body. She is being drug from the scene and through the doorway, but looks back to glance at the perpetrator. He is kneeling down, holding both his head and the pot. She sees the man's features contorting, as if transforming into a wild beast. Rin picks up her pace, but it is not long before a massive, black canine swoops around them, cutting them off. They are startled and fall back from the growling, hunched over beast before them. It snaps its teeth as the pooling saliva trickles from its mouth. The creature lunges forward and locks its jaws around the delicate skin of Rin's shoulder.

Rin jolts awake, gasping for air, and is hit with the sudden realization that she has only been dreaming. She heavily sighs and plops back down onto the terrain with a moan. As she pulls her arms and legs into herself, she realizes she is naked- Still naked.

 _Where is Lord Sesshomaru?_ She wraps the warm fabric around her body, pushes herself up into a sitting position, and takes in the scenery around her. Sunlight filters through the flora's rich hues of orange, red, yellow, and green, reflecting off the water of the spring ahead. By her side, she discovers a vibrant indigo kimono and runs her fingers over the fabric, appreciating the crimson flowers cascading up the hem and sleeves. _It's so beautiful._

Sesshomaru makes his presence known. "Rin." She jumps and turns her head to face the voice behind her. Sesshomaru is resting a few feet away with a clenched jaw and a faint furrow in his brow. He opens his eyes and continues. "You may bathe and dress." The stench of the stale blood covering her sickens him.

For a moment, she is captivated by his narrow, glinting eyes. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru." she modestly replies. She hesitantly gathers her kimono, hoists herself up on her feet, and looks back upon Sesshomaru again to find his eyes shut. She rushes on the balls of her feet towards the spring and slowly dips her toes in to test the water. She drops her kimono and allows the robe covering her to slip from her shoulders. After it falls to her feet, she eases her body into the water.

Sesshomaru repeatedly replays last night's events through his mind. He is not typically one to concern himself with such matters, but Rin has awakened a protective instinct within him that he once thought he would never possess. _Why wasn't the boy, Kohaku, able to protect her from such filth? Pathetic. I should have never shown him mercy. I should have never allowed Rin to fall into such circumstances._ He focuses on the sound of her lowering herself into the water and the strokes that follow. _Never had I intended for her to one day witness the destructive killer inside of me._ His ears are hypnotized by the sorrow melody reverberating from her chest.

"Sealed in silence, enslaved by you

The subject of your infatuation

The cruelty in and of the intimacy

Tarnishes the carnation.

Bursting in misery, submerged in the waters

Wilting away in your endeavor

Perishing on open display

The pieces fall, lost forever."

His insides constrict. _Her innocence and joyous spirit have been plucked away from her and I did not save her._

Rin gently rubs her bruised skin and watches the caked on blood dissipate into the water. She submerges her head for a massage, continuing to strip the filth from her body. She is once again unaware of a pair of eyes following her every move.

* * *

"Still spying, are we?"

Takeru dwells in the darkness. He stares into the fire, leering at the young woman's image before him. "What do you want, Mother?"

"I can't check in on my own son?"

"Spare me." he retorts.

"We don't want to frighten the poor girl away, do we?" she muses.

"As if I'm allowing her a choice. Time is running out." he grumbles. As his mother turns to leave, he speaks up. "There's been a development you may be interested in hearing."

"Oh? And just what might that be?" she curiously engages.

"She appears to be under the protection of Sesshomaru."

She stops in her tracks. "Interesting, indeed."

* * *

Rin is combs her fingers through her hair, not daring to disturb her lord. She interprets that he must be deep in thought and makes the decision not to disturb him. She pulls her long tresses into a loose, elaborate braid.

"Where is the boy?" He bluntly asks.

"Ko- Kohaku?" she finds herself with a loss for words. Sesshomaru opens his eyes, exposing his golden irises to her. "Kohaku is… he is dead, Lord Sesshomaru." she belatedly responds. His embodiment pulses with anger.

"Pathetic."

"My lord, there was a serpent. I-"

"Irrelevant. I shall protect you from this moment onward." He tilts her chin upward and caresses her cheek with his thumb, forcing her gaze to meet his. "No man or beast shall touch you again in my presence." Rin feels the wave of heat spread across her face.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru."

Takeru fumes in resentment.


	3. Chapter 3

I give my sincerest apologies for taking so long to update. Please bear with me. It's been a rough, crazy time of year, and keep in mind that it is new found hobby of mine- not a career.

I want to inform "you's" that I am back. I have returned and a new chapter will be up soon.

Thank you for your support.

ALSO, I am considering starting a story in the future in the "Bleach" or "Teen Titans" universe. Let me know what you think. Raven is a character I have always held dear to my heart. -hint hint ;0)

Thank you.


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